The invention relates to apparatus for converting a conventional band saw made to operate with a continuous flat blade so that the saw will operate using a continuous spiral blade. A spiral blade is considerably more flexible than a flat blade typically used in a band saw, and therefore there must be means in a band saw in which a spiral blade is to be used to support and guide the spiral blade adjacent the cutting area.
The present invention provides such guiding means for attachment to conventional band saws in the form of a very simple device. An easy conversion, as provided, is desirable in that a spiral blade is capable of cutting in any direction when embedded in a solid body. Flat blades perform satisfactorily within their limitations, but are characterized by their inability to perform certain desirable operations. The blade, being in the form of a thin strip, is able to advance through a cut in one direction but cannot turn abruptly at right angles to that direction while embedded in the body being sawed. The depth of a flat blade makes such a turn impossible, and to make an angle turn it is necessary to round a corner. Flat blades are also characterized by their variations in strength and are frequently broken by transverse or twisting force.